Children's Home run by Supporting Hands Care Services Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Supporting Hands Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 27 August 2025, a monitoring visit was carried out. The monitoring visit took place because there were concerns related to the safe recruitment of staff. On the same day, a suspension order was issued as there were concerns about a member of staff working at the home. On 11 November 2025, a monitoring visit was carried out to review the action taken by leaders. Sufficient steps had been taken, so the suspension order was allowed to expire, and the provider could admit children again. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2025 Full Good 18/06/2024 Full Good 24/05/2023 Full Good 15/08/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

Staff provide nurturing care, and the child lives in a homely environment where their identity is respected. The child said that they feel happy living at the home, and they feel part of a family.

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Summary of findings

Staff actively promote education and the importance of good routines. Staff support the child to be fit and healthy, offering a range of activities to suit their interests. The manager and staff work collaboratively with other agencies to ensure that the child receives the right level of support from the most appropriate external services.

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Summary of findings

There have been times when staff have not always acted consistently. They have not always followed risk management plans effectively or used professional curiosity when they know the child has been unsafe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff planned and prepared for the child’s move into the home. This has enabled good relationships to develop between the child and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are responsive to the child’s needs. The care provided is individualised, and staff support the child’s emotional and psychological wellbeing. Staff and managers have enabled the child to make progress, particularly in gaining self-care and independence skills to support the child’s move to their next home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to make educational progress, which encourages the child to have aspirations for the future. The child has been enabled to start a college course, which is tailored to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff collaborate as a team with professionals who are involved with the child. This multi-agency work supports the child through a range of effective partnership working to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child is fit and healthy, supporting them with attending health appointments and joining the gym to maintain a good level of fitness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with those who are important to them, ensuring that this time is positive for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have developed a visual road map that helps the child to understand their progress and the journey they have taken so far. This tool supports the child’s reflection, promotes their voice and enables them to see their achievements in a meaningful and accessible way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are provided with risk assessments to support them to keep the child safe. Staff also work with external safeguarding agencies to put protective measures in place. These strategies are to help reduce the risk of criminal exploitation by others.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

However, managers and staff have not always been consistent in following these strategies to help reduce the risk of substance misuse, internet harm and adult relationships, particularly when the child is in the community. This does not help to educate the child about dangers and risks and how to keep themselves safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have not always carried out the required welfare checks to regularly observe the child when under the influence of substances. Instead, staff have relied on listening from outside the room and presuming the child is asleep, without visually confirming their breathing, responsiveness or physical condition.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Records state that the child’s phone use is monitored. This does not align with practice observed. Staff have not documented any phone ‑ monitoring activity, and there is no evidence that this safeguard is being implemented.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Records state that staff are required to clearly document details, including names and descriptions, of young people seen in the child’s company. However, this does not consistently happen. Staff do not always record who the child has been spending time with, and in some cases, no information is documented at all.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Poor staff adherence to established plans went unnoticed due to weak management oversight, allowing ineffective and unsafe practices to persist.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers and some staff understand the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. Staff relationships with the child have enabled open communication so that staff can talk to the child when risks are present.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

For the first part of the inspection, the manager was not present in the home. The manager had not ensured that there was someone who could lead the home in her absence. This was due to the acting manager being unable to locate and have access to relevant documents. When present in the home, the manager also struggled to identify the location of documents, which was attributed to the new electronic system.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Furthermore, one child’s documents contained the name of a previous child who had lived at the home. This error went unnoticed by staff and management, indicating a lack of effective oversight and poor attention to detail. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff attend regular team meetings, which are well structured, and they have regular opportunities to discuss the child, to share updates and raise any concerns. This supports consistent communication, promotes reflective practice and helps to ensure that staff remain focused on the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision and training are thorough and up to date. Staff said that they enjoy working in the home and feel supported by management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The requirement related to the management oversight and monitoring of the home has been restated. This has been an ongoing shortfall at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 13 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 13 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Hands Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ovenden House, Ovenden Road, Halifax HX3 5QG

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Inspectors

Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector (lead) Chrissie Edmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspectors

and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked- after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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